Patrick Rice, a company salesman, patrolled the grounds, raking, sweeping and clearing brush.

And Bill Solack, a Verizon manager, put his personal tools to use wherever needed.

"We like taking before and after pictures," he said. "It's amazing how much you can get done."

On Tuesday, the pictures would have been of the 160-children-strong Rochester Child Care Center before and after about a dozen volunteers descended on the scene as part of the United Way's annual Spring Day of Caring.

It was part of a regional effort that pairs local businesses with nonprofit organizations that can benefit from the extra hand.

Patti Kelly, a teacher with 22 years invested at the center, was busy watching dozens of kids between the ages of 3 and 5 on Tuesday, but she paused to marvel at the help.

It was nice, she said, "just knowing that other people care about what we're doing."

If the volunteers didn't help, maintenance and safety improvements like sanding down the wooden play area would have gone without attention due to staff constraints, said Christiane Casserly, the center's executive director.

Verizon volunteers also supplied planting boxes for a vegetable garden. The volunteers were "doing something creative for community," Casserly said.

Volunteers said they felt a sense of accomplishment at the end of their work.

Also in Rochester, workers from the Seabrook Station were at the Opera House to tidy loose ends.

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